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HISTORY  OF 

TREMONT 


Historical  Account 

of  the 

ORIGIN,    GROWTH   AND   DEVELOPMENT 
OF    THE   VILLAGE   OF 

TREMONT,  ILLINOIS' 


TOGETHER   WITH   BIOGRAPHICAL 

SKETCHES    OF    SOME   OF    ITS 

EARLY   CITIZENS 


MILLIE  TROLL 
19  2  5 


Copyright,  1925 
By  MILLIE  TROLL 


AIL  Rights  Reserved 


©CI  A878093 

JAN-676 


/ 


—I 

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n 


Foreword 


In  presenting  the  history  of  the  Village  of 
Tremont,  the  writer  has  done  the  best  that 
she  could  under  the  existing  circumstances. 

The  only  two  surviving  old  residents  of  the 
village,  James  Cottingham  and  J.  M.  Sawyer, 
furnished  me  with  a  good  deal  of  information. 
The  other  early  facts  were  obtained  from  his- 
tories and  some  personal  recollections. 

Had  this  work  been  done  several  years  ago, 
much  more  personal  history  and  facts  relating 
to  the  town  could  have  been  obtained. 

I  wish  to  thank  everyone  who  has  kindly 
contributed  his  help  in  any  way. 

Very  truly, 

MILLIE  TROLL, 

Tremont,  Illinois. 
October,  1925. 


HISTORY     OF     TRKMONT 

History  of  the  Village  of  Tremont 

Tremont  derives  its  name  from  three  mounds  or  Mounts,  Tri- 
Mounts,  bordering  on  the  Village,  one  to  the  northeast,  one  a  little 
to  the  southeast  and  one  on  the  southwest.  The  mounds  form  a  swag 
in  which  the  town  is  located.  When  the  country  was  all  a  vast  prai- 
rie, these  mounds  were  much  more  noticeable  than  they  are  since 
the  town  has  been  built. 

The  first  white  settler  in  the  vicinity  of  Tremont  was  a  man 
named  Chapman,  who  came  here  the  early  part  of  1820.  He  built 
a  cabin  near  Pleasant  Grove,  but  shortly  after  moved  to  Tremont 
township,  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  the  village. 

In  1826  Thomas  Briggs  and  Hezekiah  Davis  came  from  Sanga- 
mon County  and  established  themselves  as  Indian  traders  two  and 
one-half  miles  northwest  of  Pleasant  Grove.  With  them  they  brought 
a  barrel  of  whiskey,  some  calico,  a  few  blankets  and  other  trinkets 
for  which  the  Indians  were  always  eager  to  barter  furs  and  skins. 
Messrs.  Wm.  Davis,  Nathan  Dillon  and  Martin  Miars  located  a  few 
miles  east  of  Tremont  about  the  same  time. 

In  1830  James  Sterling  came  to  Tremont  from  Sangamon  Coun- 
ty and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owner  by  James  Cottingham,  two 
miles  northeast  of  the  Village.  Mr.  Sterling  was  the  first  perma- 
nent white  settler  in  Tremont  Township.  When  he  came,  he  had 
only  one  horse  and  a  wagon.  His  horse,  however,  straying  away 
shortly,  left  him  without  a  horse.  When  the  deep  snow  came,  he 
and  his  family  saw  no  person  for  two  months  except  the  William 
Broyhill  family,  which  came  with  him.  They  lived  on  the  meat  of 
the  deer  and  hominy.  They  could  get  no  flour.  Their  corn  gave  out 
and  they  went  three  miles  to  the  nearest  settlement  to  get  more 
corn  from  which  to  make  hominy. 

The  winter  of  1830  and  1831  was  memorable  for  the  deep 
snow.  The  snow  began  falling  on  the  night  of  the  twenty-ninth  of 
December  and  continued  to  fall  for  three  days  and  nights.  It  av- 
eraged a  depth  of  about  four  feet,  but  drifting  in  places  from  eight- 
een to  twenty  feet  deep.  Great  suffering  was  experienced  in  con- 
sequence. For  weeks  the  sun  was  not  visible  and  so  intense  was  the 
cold  that  not  a  particle  of  snow  melted  on  the  south  side  of  the 
cabins.  The  settlers  relied  on  the  Indian  corn  which  they  were  en- 
able to  raise  and  the  wild  game  which  was  abundant  at  that  time. 
There  was  plenty  of  corn  to  supply  the  wants  of  all  until  the  next 
season's  crop,  but  when  the  snow  came,  none  had  been  gathered. 
There  was  so  much  work  to  be  done  in  the  building  of  homes,  and 
having  no  place  to  store  their  corn,  it  was  left  standing  and  they 
would  gather  it  as  needed.  Game  could  not  be  had.  The  suffering 
of  the  people  was  very  great.  Human  tongue  can  never  adequately 
picture  the  trials  endured  by  these  people  at  this  time.  The  dark 
forebodings  that  crept  into  every  cabin,  starvation  staring  them  in 
the  face,  and  the  meager  meal,  we  too,  could  never  forget  it.  For 
many  weeks  the  people  were  absolutely  blockaded  and  remained 
so  until  starvation  compelled  them  to  go  in  search  of  food.  Israel 
Shreves  and  R.  N.  Cullum,  father  of  one  of  the  Governors  of  Illinois, 
went  to  the  mill  located   eight   miles  from  Mr.   Shreves'  home   and 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 

still  farther  from  Mr.  Cullum's,  at  Pleasant  Grove.  Each  took  a 
horse  to  carry  their  sack  of  corn.  The  men  travelled  on  snow  shoes,, 
and  the  snow  was  so  deep  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  they  could  get  along.  On  the  elevated  places,  the  snow  would 
bear  up  the  horses,  but  in  the  sways  the  snow  was  so  deep  that  it 
would  push  the  sacks  of  corn  off  the  horses'  backs.  At  such  places 
the  men  were  obliged  to  take  the  sacks  upon  their  own  shoulders 
and  carry  them  to  a  spot  that  would  bear  the  horses.  They  would 
then  return  it  to  the  horses  and  lead  them  on. 

Oft  times  it  was  quite  difficult  owing  to  the  great  depth  of  snow, 
to  get  the  horses  to  where  they  did  not  sink.  The  cold  was  so  in- 
tense ana1  the  wind  so  high  that  persons  were  in  great  danger  of 
freezing  to  death.  On  the  following  day  after  their  arrival  at  the 
mill,  Mr.  Shreves  started  for  home  and  after  an  extremely  painful 
journey,  reached  there  in  safety,  'but  so  great  was  the  physical  ex- 
ertion, notwithstanding  the  extreme  cold,  he  wiped  the  streaming 
prespiration  from  his  forehead.  Mr.  Cullum  also  reached  home  in 
safety. 

The  men  would  go  out  into  the  fields  and  where  they  could  see 
the  top  of  a  corn  stalk  sticking  out  through  the  snow,  they  would 
dig  down  until  they  came  to  the  ear  of  corn.  It  took  a  day  to  gather 
ten  bushels  of  corn  and  required  four  horses  to  haul  it  home.  To 
get  wood  they  would  cut  the  tree  off  at  the  top  of  the  snow,  and 
when  spring  came  and  the  snow  had  disappeared,  thev  often  found 
the  stumps  long  enough  to  cut  into  fence  rails  lOVfc  feet  in  length. 
During  the  winter  of  1830  and  1831,  it  snowed  nineteen  times  from 
December  29th  to  February  13th.  The  deep  snow  was  a  land  mark 
for  the  pioneers.  He  recorded  events  from  it.  Before  or  after  the 
deep  snow.  Date  of  his  coming,  marriage,  birth  of  his  children,  etc. 
People  living  here  then  and  children  born  at  that  time  were  called 
snow  birds.  After  the  snow  melted,  the  bones  of  the  deer  were  so 
numerous  in  some  places  that  f cr  one  quarter  of  an  acre  one  could 
step  from  bone  to  bone  over  the  whole  surface.  This  was  the  heav- 
iest snow  that  ever  fell  in  Illinois  within  the  memory  of  the  oldest 
settler  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

In  1831  David  Lackland  and  James  Broyhill,  Messrs.  Owen  and 
Trout  came  from  Tennessee  and  located  northeast  of  Tremont,  in 
the  vicinity  afterward  known  as  Tennessee  Point.  Margaret  Lack- 
land, daughter  of  David  Lackland,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Tremont  township,  May  6,  1833. 

In  1833,  John  H.  Harris  and  Josiah  L.  James  came  to  Central 
Illinois  on  a  prospecting  tour.  On  their  journey  home,  Mr.  James 
suggested  that  they  organize  a  colony  and  emigrate  to  the  west. 
The  proposition  was  enthusiastically  seconded  by  Mr.  Harris,  who 
immediately  on  his  arrival  at  home,  began  to  solicit  his  friends  to 
join  them  in  the  organization  of  the  proposed  colony.  Their  en- 
thusiasm was  contagious,  for  it  was  not  long  before  a  meeting  was 
held  at  the  Waldon  House  in  New  York  City,  and  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  John  H.  Harris,  W.  M.  Sampson  and  Josiah  L.  James,  was 
chosen  to  decide  upon  a  location  for  the  colony.  This  committee 
chose  the  present  site  of  the  Village  of  Tremont,  and  upon  their  re- 
turn, made  known  their  decision  to  those  interested,  whereupon  the 
organization  was  effected  and  the  first  arrangement  made.  John  H. 
Harris  was  chosen  Treasurer.     In  1834,  about  forty  families  or  about 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


fifty  persons  started  for  the  settlement,  making  their  journey  in 
wagons,  bringing  with  them  but  little  furniture  and  barest  neces- 
sities of  life. 

On  their  arrival  they  laid  out  the  town  ,  building  a  schoolhouse 
and  church,  establishing  a  post  office,  and  introducing  many  improve- 
ments which  made  Tremont  at  that  early  day  a  center  of  intelligence, 
enterprise  and  good  society,  scarcely  equalled  by  many  larger  places 
in  the  west.  In  ^ebruarv,  1835,  Mr.  Harris  as  treasurer  of  the  col- 
ony, paid  $18,000  into  the  United  States  land  office  at  Springfield,  . 
Illinois,  lor  ninety-three  quarter  sections  of  land,»or  14,880  acres.  ^ 
The  town  was  laid  out  by  Harris,  James  and  Sampson.  y«. They  locat- 
ed the  public  square  and  laid  out  large  lets  with  streets  and  alleys. 
The  original  land  plats  were  mace  out  in  the  name  of  these  men  and 
signed  by  Martin  VanBuren.  The  colonists  chose  their  lots  as  well 
as  the  land  adjoining  the  town  for  farm  purposes  by  drawing  lots, 
the  prices  having  been  previously  determined.  Those  drawing  corn- 
er lots  and  more  valuable  farm  lands  had  to  pay  a  premium  for  the 
same.  The  public  square  was  paid  for  out  of  the  General  Fund 
and  was  given  to  the  town  for  park  purposes  only.  This  was  a  piece 
of  land  680  feet  square,  located  in  the  center  of  the  original  town 
of  Tremont. 

On  the  25th  day  of  July  of  the  same  year,  a  vote  was  taken  to 
decide  whether  the  town  should  be  incorporated  or  not.  When  the 
ballots  were  counted,  it  was  found  that  28  votes  had  been  cast  for 
incorporating  and  one  against  it.  On  August  26  a  meeting  was  held 
at  the  schooihouse  to  choose  the  first  trustees  of  the  town.  Those 
were  Philip  Flagler,  Colis  Tompkins,  Palmer  Homes,  J.  C.  Morgan  and 
Richard  Updike.  After  the  town  had  been  laid  out,  considerable 
rivalry  sprang  up  as  to  who  should  be  the  first  to  get  building  ma- 
terial. Nathan  Kinsey  delivered  the  first  load  of  lumber  for  Colonel 
Oakly's  home.  This  home  was  'built  on  lot  10  in  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  block  nine.  The  house  is  still  standing  and  is  occupied  by 
A.  A.  Chapman.  Josiah  Mathews  completed  the  first  house.  This 
stood  on  lot  10  in  the  southeast  corner  of  block  9,  where  Wm.  Shemel 
now  lives.  In  1835  a  tavern,  a  large  two  story  frame  building,  was 
built  on  lot  1  in  block  10,  where  G.  W.  Ballenger's  home  is  located. 

On  July  12,  1835,  the  State  Legislature  appointed  a  committee 
to  locate  permanently  the  County  Seat  of  Tazewell  County.  This 
committe  was  composed  of  John  C.  Calhoun  of  Sangamon  County, 
James  Gaylord  of  Putman  County,  and  Israel  Pugh  of  Macon  County. 
This  committee  came  to  Tremont  in  1835,  where  they  met  John 
H.  Harris,  who  offered  to  donate  to  the  County,  twenty  acres  of  land 
just  south  of  the  town,  now  known  as  the  Countv  Seat  Addition. 
This  proposition  was  made  to  secure  the  county  seat  at  Tremont, 
and  in  addition  to  this,  the  town  donated  $2,000  for  the  erection 
of  the  public  buildings.  The  Commissioners  accepted  their  proposi- 
tions and  in  the  course  of  time  the  county  seat  was  moved  from 
Mackinaw  to  Tremont.  The  county  seat  had  been  located  in  Macki- 
naw since  March,  1827. 

The  year  1835  was  memorable  for  high  water.  Late  in  April 
it  commenced  to  rain  and  continued  through  the  summer.  The  great 
prairies  then  uncultivated  and  undrained,  "were  one  vast  lake.  The 
storms  would  gather  with  fearful  rapidity.  A  small  cloud  would  be 
seen  somewhere  and  in  a  moment,  so  to  speak,  the  deluge  was  on. 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


The  falling  of  rain  was  frightful,  the  vivid  lightning  and  crashing 
thunder  were  a  terror.  A  meal  placed  upon  the  table  just  as  the 
storm  came  up,  remained  untouched  and  was  set  away.  Very  little 
in  the  way  of  raising  crops  was  attempted  that  summer.  In  the 
early  part  of  July,  a  storm  of  rain,  thunder  and  lightning  occurred 
which  for  severity  has  never  been  equalled,  it  is  believed.  The  con- 
sequences of  this  rain  were  dreadtul.  The  earth  was  filled  with 
water  and  every  little  hollow  was  a  stagnant  pool  to  engender  dis- 
ease. After  the  fierce  storm  demon  had  passed,  a  silent  pestilence 
arose  from  the  green  prairie  and  stalked  resistless  among  the  in- 
habitants. 

The  first  Postmaster  was  Mr.  Sampson,  brother  of  William 
Sampson,  spoken  of  before.  He  proved  a  defaulter  and  the  Federal 
Court  finding  judgment  against  him,  he  surrendered  his  property 
to  the  Government.  His  home  stood  on  lots  four  and  five,  block  24, 
where  F.  A.  Blue's  residence  now  stands.  The  building  was  dubbed 
the  Sub-Treasury,  being  thus  known  for  a  number  of  years,  although 
a  Sub-Treasury  never  existed  in  Tremont. 

On  December  11,  1835,  a  one  story  frame  building  18x24  feet, 
was  ordered  to  be  erected  for  a  County  Clerk's  office,  and  the  con- 
tract was  let  to  Thomas  Fisher  for  $285.00.  To  secure  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  the  work,  he  was  compelled  to  give  bones  inthe 
sum  of  $1000.  On  June  6,  1836,  the  first  court  assembled  in  the 
Clerk's  office  and  the  same  year  a  contract  for  a  temporary  Court 
House,  a  two  story  frame  building,  was  let  to  Wm.  Dillon  for  $1,150. 
The  old  jail  was  then  moved  from  Mackinaw  to  Tremont,  where  it 
was  veneered  with  brick  and  enlarged  with  a  brick  addition.  This 
addition  was  used  by  the  Shinfs  family.  The  contract  for  removing 
the  jail  was  given  to  John  T.  Bird,  who  was  to  receive  $138.00  for 
the  same. 

In  1836  Thomas  P.  Wilson,  county  surveyor,  laid  off  into  lots 
the  twenty  acres  of  land  donated  by  John  H.  Harris,  and  the  County 
Clerk  was  ordered  to  advertise  the  sale  of  these  lots  in  the  following 
papers:  Sagamon  County  Journal,  Springfield,  Illinois;  Missouri  Re- 
publican, St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Louisville,  Kentucky,  Advertiser;  and  the 
Cincinnati  National  Republican.  The  sale  of  these  lots  occurred 
in  May,  1836.  The  aggregate  amount  received  from  the  sale  of 
these  lots  was  $18,636.00.  Of  this,  $4,271.18  was  paid  in  cash,  and 
$12,440.12  on  notes  secured  by  mortgages  on  the  property.  The 
highest  price  paid  for  any  one  lot  was  for  lot  1  in  block  five,  bought 
by  James  Wibrary  for  $620.00. 

In  1836  occurred  what  was  called  the  sudden  change  in  temper- 
ature, causing  the  most  intense  suffering  to  man  and  beast.  A  light 
snow  had  fallen  the  day  before  the  change  and  on  that  day  it  turned 
to  a  drizzling  rain,  making  the  snow  a  slush.  The  storm  came  from 
the  northwest  and  as  fast  as  it  advanced,  it  instantly  change'd  the 
temperature  of  the  atmosphere  to  frigid  coldness.  A  man  by  the 
name  of  Hodgson  went  to  the  timber  for  a  load  of  wood,  the  storm 
coming  upon  him  so  suddenly  and  terribly  that  he  could  hardly  man- 
age his  team.  Before  he  could  get  to  the  house,  which  was  only  40 
rods  distant,  the  slush  had  frozen  hard  enough  to  bear  him  up.  The 
next  day  the  surface  of  the  country  was  one  vast  sea  of  ice.  Cattle 
that  were  in  the  fields  were  held  by  the  slush  freezing  about  their 
feet,  and  it  became  necessary  to  cut  away  the  ice  to  liberate  them. 

8 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


In  December,  1836,  a  plan  was  adopted  for  a  permanent  Court 
House  and  in  January,  1837,  the  contract  was  ordered  to  be  let. 
The  building  was  to  be  erected  in  the  south  part  of  town  on  a  por- 
tion of  the  land  donated  by  John  Harris.  This  contract  called  for 
a  building  two  stories  above  the  basement.  The  building  was  to  be 
40  feet  wide  and  60  feet  long,  including  a  portico  10  feet  wide. 
The  windows  were  to  be  closed  with  good  blinds,  the  latter  to  be 
painted  with  four  coats  of  paint,  two  of  which  were  to  be  French 
green.  The  building  was  to  be  ornamented  with  a  cupola  furnished 
with  octagonal  windows  and  the  dome  ornamented  with  an  iron  rod 
supporting  three  guilt  balls.  The  contract  was  let  to  a  Wm.  Flagg, 
January  13,  1837,  and  was  for  $14,450.00.  The  building  was  first 
occupied  in  September,  1839.  Abraham  Lincoln,  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las and  David  Davis  were  among  the  most  prominent  men  whose 
voices  were  heard  within  its  walls.  In  1836,  the  State  Legislature, 
under  the  Internal  Improvement  Act,  appointed  three  commissioners 
one  of  whom  was  Charles  Oakly.  These  commissioners  planned  the 
building  of  a  railroad  from  Pekin  to  Bloomington.  In  accordance 
with  their  plans,  the  road  was  graded  as  far  as  Tremont.  The  stone 
culverts  were  built  and  ties  and  sills  laid  for  flat  rails.  Colonel 
Oakly  then  went  to  England  to  negotiate  for  rails,  but  before  his 
return,  the  state  had  become  practically  bankrupt  and  the  work  had 
to  be  abandoned.     The  material  was  subsequently  removed. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  Village  of  Tremont  was  Charles 
Hayward  in  1837.  His  father  and  mother,  Almarine  and  Eliza  Wash- 
burn Hayward,  came  to  Tremont  from  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts. 

In  the  summer  of  1837,  a  great  drouth  prevailed.  For  seven 
weeks  not  a  drop  of  rain  had  fallen  and  for  a  previous  period  of 
nearly  twice  that  length  of  time,  the  few  showers  that  had  fallen 
were  barely  sufficient  to  lay  the  dust.  There  were  no  dews.  The 
earth  gaped  under  the  merciless  sun,  vegetation  was  parched  to  ashes. 
The  trodden  roads  were  piled  with  dust.  Sickness  which  had  begun 
early  in  the  summer  in  various  parts  of  the  county,  increased  in 
maglignity.  The  longer  the  drouth  held,  the  more  fatal  grew  its 
ravages.  For  weeks  the  heavens  were  watched  for  clouds  or  some 
sign  of  mercy,  but  in  vain.  In  the  meantime,  disease  and  death 
stalked  abroad.  The  pestilence  claimed  its  victims  in  every  home, 
in  some  whole  families  were  prostrated,  and  the  sufferers  were  de- 
pendent upon  the  kindness  of  their  neighbors  and  friends  to  minister 
to  their  wants.  The  fevers  took  their  most  malignent  and  fatal 
character  in  the  bottom  lands,  those  bordering  on  the  streams.  Here 
the  pestilence  found  its  most  numerous  victims.  One  riding  through 
these  regions  frequently  found  homes  in  which  every  member  of 
the  family  was  sick  and  lying  in  all  stages  of  the  disease  and  it  was  a 
blessing  for  a  stranger  to  call  and  hand  them  a  cup  of  water.  One 
could  ride  miles  in  those  regions  and  pass  seemingly  deserted  cabins, 
but  on  entering  find  several  persons  in  the  same  dark  room,  tossing 
and  raging  in  the  various  stages  of  the  fever.  This  snread  through 
the  entire  county  and  the  Village  of  Tremont  paid  its  tribute  in  death 
and  severe  illness  of  many  of  its  citizens.  There  were  but  three  or 
four  wells  in  the  village  that  offered  any  water  and  that  was  used 
with  judicious  care.  On  the  14th  of  September  occurred  an  eclipse  of 
the  sun  and  all  hoped  that  some  change  would  be  wrought  by  this 
great   event,  but  their  hopes  were   in  vain.      People   walked   about 


HISTORY     OF     T RE MO NT 


slowly,  with  their  countenances  darkened  by  their  grief  or  saddened 
with  sympathy  for  their  neighbors.  Do  not  know  when  the  drouth 
was  broken. 

In  the  early  part  of  1840  two  stage  lines  were  established,  one 
between  Peoria  and  Bloomington,  and  the  other  between  Peoria  and 
Springfield.  These  stage  lines  carried  mail,  passengers  and  express 
packages.  They  were  drawn  by  four  horse  teams.  Daily  trips  were 
made.  Milton  W.  Gowdy,  father  of  Mrs.  Frank  E.  McGinnis  of  this 
place,  also  brother  of  Mrs.  A.  J.  Davis  (now  deceased)  of  Tremont, 
drove  in  the  stage  lines  from  Peoria  to  Bloomington,  also  from  Peo- 
ria to  Springfield  from  1852  to  1856.  During  the  time  that  he  was 
employed  as  a  driver,  some  of  our  country's  greatest  men  were  his 
passengers.  Among  them  were  Abraham  Lincoln,  who,  when  the 
weather  was  nice,  would  sit  on  the  c river's  seat  with  him  the  entire 
way  from  Peoria  to  Springfield  and  enliven  the  trip  with  his  stories 
and  jokes  for  which  he  was  famous.  In  his  years  of  service  as 
stage  driver,  Mr.  Gowdy  saw  hard  times,  especially  in  the  spring 
when  the  country  was  flooded  with  water  and  he  was  obliged  to 
drive  long  distances  through  water.  Mr.  Gowdy  was  never  molested 
by  robbers,  although  at  one  time  he  hauled  $20,000  in  gold  from 
Pekin  to  Peoria.  When  he  had  been  employed  as  stage  driver  about 
a  year,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in  some  manner  he  receive., 
an  injury  to  one  of  his  feet  from  which  he  never  recovered. 

The  first  church  in  Tremont  was  built  by  the  Baptist  people 
in  1842.  It  was  completed  with  the  exception  of  the  cupola  in  1847. 
The  building  cost  $1700.00.  $196.00  was  collected  in  Worchester, 
Mass.  In  1842  the  church  reported  12  members.  The  Congregational 
church  of  Tremont  was  organized  in  1844  and  the  church  building 
was  erected  in  1848.  Previous  to  this,  their  meetings  had  been  held 
in  the  schoolhouse  or  private  homes.  The  contract  for  the  erection 
of  the  building  was  let  by  the  committee,  Moses  Morse,  J.  E.  Kel- 
logg, John  Stiles,  A.  Stockwell  and  Freeman  Kingman,  to  Elijafn 
Brown  for  $1666.00.  Before  its  completion  it  was  struck  by  light- 
ning and  damaged  to  some  extent.  The  Episcopalians  built  a  church 
in  1847  on  lots  9  and  10  in  block  29.  A  Bible  given  to  the  organ- 
ization in  that  year  by  Bishop  Chase  is  still  in  existence.  For  several 
years  the  church  building  was  used  as  an  implement  warehouse,  first 
by  J.  W.  Barkdoll  and  later  by  D.  A.  Stormer.  In  the  early  60s, 
a  Unitarium  Church,  afterwards  known  as  the  Liberal  Church,  was 
erected.  This  was  built  by  a  stock  company,  aided  by  subscription. 
This  church' was  in  block  25  on  lot  8,  and  it  burned  down  a  few  years 
ago.  The  Catholic  denomination  bought  the  old  schoolhouse  and 
worshipped  there  until  they  built  their  church  in  the  south  part  of 
town  in  1872. 

In  the  early  50's,  Almarine  Hayward  and  Philander  Dean  built 
a  grist  mill  and  operated  it  for  a  few  years.  The  building  stood  on 
lot  24  in  block  5,  near  the  center  of  town.  The  enterprise  was  not 
a  success.  Between  the  years  1865  and  1870,  the  building  was  sold 
and  moved  to  the  south  part  of  town  and  was  used  for  a  number  of 
years  by  George  E.  Bird  as  a  store  building.  The  building  is  still 
standing. 

In  1848  a  petition  was  circulated  to  move  the  County  Seat 
from  Tremont  to  Pekin.  This  petition  received  so  many  signatures 
that  a  vote  was  finally  taken   to   decide  the   question.      It  resulted 

10 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


in  a  victory  for  Pekin  and  the  records  were  removed  to  that  place 
in  the  years  1849  and  1850.  By  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved 
February  2nd,  1849,  in  regard  to  the  disposal  of  the  Court  House 
at  Tremont,  it  was  provided  that  in  case  the  County  Seat  was  moved 
to  Pekin,  a  deed  of  trust  of  the  Court  House  should  be  made  to 
Joseph  L.  Shaw,  Wells,  Andrews,  Lyman  Porter,  Thomas  P.  Rogers 
and  William  A.  Maus.  The  building  was  to  be  used  and  occupied 
exclusively  for  the  purpose  of  education  and  for  the  benefit  of  the 
county.  Accordingly,  when  a  vote  was  taken  and  it  was  thereby 
decided  to  move,  the  above  act  was  complied  with,  and  for  sever, 
years  a  high  school  was  conducted  there.  Later  when  a  high  school 
building  was  erected  in  the  village,  the  building  was  occupied  on  the 
apartment  plan,  several  families  occupying  it.  The  building  as 
originally  constructed,  remained  until  1895  when  it  .was  sold  to  Wil- 
liam Brown  and  a  modern  dwelling  was  erected  where  the  old  Court 
House  stood. 

On  July  4,  1854,  a  long  table  was  made  on  the  square  and 
the  people  of  the  Village  and  the  surrounding  country  came  with 
well  filled  containers  of  food  for  a  dinner.  In  addition  to  this  there 
was  a  barbacue.  The  object  of  this  gathering  was  to  plan  for  the 
setting  out  of  trees  on  the  square.  A  number  of  trees  were  planted 
that  day,  a  few  of  which  are  still  standing. 

In  1859  Messrs.  Wm.  Pettis  and  Nathanial  Ingalls  built  a  store 
building,  also  a  bank  buJding  on  lot  12  in  block  25.  The  store  build- 
ing is  the  one  where  E.  L.  Colter  and  Frank  E.  McGinnis  were  for 
a  number  of  years.  The  bank  building  is  the  one  where  Miss  Belle 
I.  McGinnis  now  conducts  a  Gift  Shop.  The  bank,  a  private  one, 
was  in  operation  about  ten  years  when  it  was  robbed,  and  no  further- 
attempt  was  made  to  carry  on  the  business. 

About  1860,  S.  R.  Saltanstall  of  Tremont,  W.  S.  Maus  of  Pekin 
and  one  other  man  was  appointed  to  transfer  the  railroad  bed  to 
a  newly  organized  company  which  proposed  to  build  a  road  from 
Pekin,  Illinois,  to  Danville,  Illinois,  by  the  way  of  Tremont.  This 
company  also  failed  to  carry  out  its  plans.  In  1866  a  charter  was 
obtained  from  the  Danville-Urbana-Bloomington-Pekin  railroad.  The 
old  road  bed  was  given  to  the  new  company  by  the  Legislature  and 
the  road  was  finally  built.  The  first  passenger  train,  consisting  of 
an  engine  and  two  coaches,  was  run  from  Pekin  to  Tremont  July  4, 
1867.  A.  J.  Davis  was  the  first  railroad  agent  and  A.  D."  Davis  the 
first  telegraph  operator,  beginning  his  work  in  1871, 

Tremont  had  been  without  banking  facilities  for  thirteen  years, 
when  in  1879  Messrs.  A.  J.  Davis  and  L.  M.  Hobart  opened  a  private 
bank  in  the  old  Pettis  and  Ingalls  bank  building,  but  later  built 
a  small  building  on  the  south  end  of  lot  5  in  block  24.  In  1883  Mr. 
Hobart  retired  from  the  bank,  Mr.  Davis  assuming  the  business. 
Later  his  son  Alvin  was  taken  into  the  bank  with  his  father.  The 
•father  and  son  conducted  business  there  for  a  number  of  years  when 
the  bank  was  moved  to  lot  5  in  block  24.  In  1909  it  received  a  char- 
ter and  is  known  as  the  Tremont  National  Bank.  A.  C.  Schneider 
is  the  President  and  Miss  Emma  Bolliger,  Assistant  Cashier. 

In  1882  the  Baptist  church  people  sold  their  old  church  lot  and 
building  and  bought  a  lot  just  south  of  where  the  old  church  had 
stood  and  erected  a  frame  church  building  under  A.  C,  Kelly's  pas- 

11 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


torate.  In  1911  this  building  was  torn  down  and  a  brick  veneer 
church  building  was  erected  on  lot  6  in  block  24.  This  was  in  1912 
during  Reverend  Krumrieg's  pastorate.  The  new  building  cost  be- 
tween $15,000  and  $16,000.     It  was  dedicated  Apri  20,  1913. 

In  1891  the  Congregational  church  organization  had  become  so 
weakened  by  the  death  and  removal  of  its  members  that  they  did  not 
think  it  best  to  retain  a  pastor.  The  Methodists,  who  are  always 
on  the  lookout  for  a  place  to  put  in  an  entering  wedge,  began  hold- 
ing occasional  meetings  in  the  church  building,  which  after  a  time 
resulted  in  their  having  a  pastor,  Wesley  Britton  was  the  first  pastor. 

For  several  years,  the  Methodist-Congregational  and  Liberal  peo- 
ple formed  a  union  church.  About  1903  the  Congregational  people 
deeded  to  the  Methodist  organization  their  church  property.  A  short 
time  afterward  they  also  deeded  to  the  Methodists  their  parsonage. 
In  1904  during  O.  I.  Truitt's  pastorate,  the  old  Congregational  church 
was  sold  and  a  brick  veneer  church  building  was  erected  on  the  lot 
at  a  cost  of  $8500.  Improvements  were  afterwards  made  which 
added  much  to  its  value.  The  church  was  dedicated  December  25, 
1904.  The  bell  in  the  Methodist  church  is  the  one  that  was  placed 
in  the  old  Congregational  church  when  it  was  built  in  1848.  A  short 
time  after  the  church  was  dedicated,  O.  I.  Truitt  and  family  left  for 
Rangoon,  India,  to  do  missionary  work.  In  1912  during  A.  J.  Jolly's 
pastorate,  the  Carnegie  organ  was  installed. 

On  August  9,  1902,  the  subscribers  to  the  capital  stock  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Tremont  met  and  elected  a  board  of  directors. 
The  Board  organized  by  electing  Louis  Bruckner  of  Pekin  President 
and  Fred  Trout  of  Tremont  as  Vice  President.  The  charter  was 
granted  on  the  13th  day  of  September,  1902,  and  the  bank  was 
opened  on  October  8,  1902.  The  official  force  of  the  bank  was  Fred 
H.  Trout,  Edward  Pratt,  Dr.  J.  E.  Mclntyre,  Fred  Becker,  Daniel 
Johnson,  George  E.  Bird  and  George  W.  Trimble.  These  were  chos- 
en as  directors,  Fred  H.  Trout  was  elected  President  and  Edward 
Pratt,  Vice  President.  The  bank  is  located  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Columbia  Opera  House.  L.  E.  Bennett  is  its  present  Cashier,  and 
Ben  E.  Getz  its  Assistant  Cashier. 

During  the  period  from  1850  to  1860  a  branch  of  the  Menno- 
nite  church  called  Amish,  began  to  settle  in  and  around  Tremont. 
They  proved  to  be  a  thrifty  and  progressive  people,  buying  the  rich 
farm  lands  and  establishing  themselves  as  good  citizens  and  today 
they  own  the  major  part  of  the  farms  around  Tremont  as  well  as 
many  homes  in  the  Village.  One  admirable  feature  about  them  is 
that  they  never  give  a  mortgage.  If  there  is  any  business  trans- 
action to  be  made,  they  help  each  other  to  make  the  deal  possible, 
and  if  any  of  their  number  meets  with  ill  luck,  the  same  helping 
hand  is  extended.  Their  young  people  are  occupying  places  of  trust 
in  business  and  as  instructors  in  our  public  schools. 

For  a  number  of  years  they  had  a  church  one  mile  south  of 
the  Village.  Several  years  ago  there  was  a  division  in  the  church, 
part  of  the  members  withdrawing  from  the  Mother  Church.  These 
bought  ground  east  of  the  high  school  building  and  built  a  brick 
veneer  church.  The  remaining  members  later  built  a  large  church 
in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town.  Both  churches  are  called  German 
Christian  Apostolic. 

12 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


About  the  year  1860  an  agricultural  society  was  formed  by  the 
people  living  in  and  around  Tremont,  and  held  a  fair  every  year 
for  about  ten  years.  The  place  for  holding  the  fair  was  a  ten  acre 
tract  of  land  northwest  of  town,  but  bordering  on  the  Village.  This 
land  belonged  to  Josiah  Sawyer  and  during  the  time  that  it  was 
used  for  a  fair  ground  he  never  received  any  compensation  for  the 
same,  Mr.  Sawyer  being  a  very  public  spirited  man.  The  fair  ground 
had  a  one-third  mile  race  tract,  three  times  around  constituting  a 
mile.  There  were  seen  some  very  spirited  horse  races  on  this  track. 
A  large  frame  structure  covered  with  canvas  was  used  to  display 
textile  works  and  culinary  arts,  as  well  as  the  agricultural  products. 
The  officers  of  the  fair  were  Josiah  Sawyer,  President;  J.  L.  Hay- 
ward,  Vice-President;  Seth  Talbot,  Treasurer;  and  Gordon  Nichols, 
gate-keeper.  In  this  as  well  as  other  things,  Pekin  was  not  satis- 
fied until  it  has  secured  the  fair  for  themselves  and  in  1870,  the  fair 
was  moved  to  Pekin,  where  it  was  held  for  three  years,  when  on  ac- 
count of  financial  support  it  was  abandoned. 

The  first  Militia  company  of  Tremont  was  organized  by  Cap- 
tain Trough.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  a  militia  com- 
pany was  in  existence  under  Captain  Peter  Menard.  The  company 
numbered  about  80  men.  When  the  major  number  enlisted  for  the 
war,  it  was  disbanded.  In  this  company  John  March  was  first  Lieu- 
tenant. 

In  1895  a  Womans  Club  was  organized  in  Tremont  by  the 
young  married  women  of  the  town.  It  soon  opened  its  doors  to 
other  women  and  it  has  proved  a  useful  and  helpful  organization. 
At  the  present  time  there  are  about  30  members.  Its  departments 
for  work  include  Art,  Music  and  Literature,  Civic  and  Citizenship, 
Education  and  Community  Service.  The  club  is  affiliated  with  the 
State,  District  and  County  Federations.  In  1917,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Woman's  Club,  a  free  circulating  Library  was  started  in  Tre- 
mont. The  nucleus  of  the  library  was  books  donated  by  anyone  who 
was  willing  to  donate  them.  There  are  now  about  1533  books  in 
the  library.  It  is  open  two  afternoons  each  week.  Miss  Ida  Jean- 
pert  is  the  Librarian. 

Tremont  furnished  its  quota  of  soldiers  for  the  Civil  War. 
There  are  19  of  the  Civil  War  Veterans  buried  in  Mount  Hope 
cemetery.  One  of  the  number,  Dudley  Holmes,  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Fort  Donelson  and  his  remains  were  brought  to  Tremont 
for  interment.  There  are  the  graves  of  two  who  were  in  the  War 
of  1812,  Felix  Fener  and  Almarine  Hayward.  Two  in  the  Black 
Hawk  War  of  1831,  Peter  Menard  and  Hezekiah  Davis.  One  in  the 
Mexican  War  of  1846,  Richard  Updike.  Five  of  the  World  War 
soldiers  lie  buried  there,  none  of  which  were  overseas. 

After  the  town  of  Tremont  was  established,  a  plat  of  ground 
lying  in  Elm  Grove  township,  but  bordering  the  town  on  the  south- 
west, was  laid  off  for  a  cemetery.  A  child's  grave  with  the  name  of 
James  R.  Wright  on  the  marker  had  a  record  of  1836,  and  a  brown 
limestone  marker  about  2%  feet  high  by  2  feet'  wide,  records  the 
name  of  Wash  M.  Wright  of  Massachusetts,  in  1838.  The  stone 
is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 

About  the  year  1878,  the  women  of  Tremont  and  vicinity  found- 
ed a  Ladies'  Cemetery  Association.  Officers  were  chosen  and  Miss 
Ruth  Fenner  was  chosen  President,  which  office  she  held  for  thirty- 

13 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONTv 

five  years.  By  her  faithfulness  and  untiring  effort,  together  with 
the  help  of  the  members  oi  the  Association,  the  cemetery  became 
from  a  neglected  place  to  one  of  which  the  community  is  proud  to 
own.  In  1916  the  cemetery  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
the  Ladies'  Mount  Hope  Cemetery  Association.  There  have  been 
two  additions  to  the  original  cemetery  grounds.  One  of  these  is  on 
the  south  and  the  other  is  on  the  northwest.  An  effort  has  been  put 
forth  to  perpetuate  the  lots,  thus  insuring  perpetual  care.  The  idea 
has  been  quite  favorably  received.  Some  40  lots  have  been  per- 
petuated, with  the  promise  of  a  number  more.  The  object  of 
this  is  to  have  the  cemetery  self-supporting.  There  are  yearly 
dues  of  $1.50  on  all  lots  not  thus  cared  for.  The  grounds  are  beau- 
tifully kept,  which  is  very  creditable  to  the  association.  Mrs.  Mary 
E.  Velde  has  held  the  office  of  President  since  the  retirement  of  Miss 
Ruth  Fenner.  Miss  Millie  Troll  is  its  Treasurer,  having  held  the  of- 
fice for  a  number  of  years. 

The  first  telephone  in  the  village  of  Tremont  was  one  installed 
in  the  late  1880s  by  S.  A.  Hayward,  from  his  grain  office  on  Sampson 
Street  to  his  residence  opposite  the  northeast  corner  of  the  square. 
The  first  party  line,  which  was  a  private  one,  was  extended  in  1897 
from  Mrs.  Mary  Pratt's  residence  to  the  George  Hinman  farm  which 
is  now  owned  by  George  Getz,  one  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  the 
village.  The  Tazewell  County  Telephone  Company  was  incorporated 
June  28,  1900.  The  offiicers  were  F.  L.  Hinman,  S.  A.  Hayward, 
Henry  Woost  and  F.  J.  Davis.  This  was  sold  to  the  Union  Telephone 
Company  in  1909.  It  was  consolidated  the  same  year  with  the  In- 
dependent Telephone  Company,  then  passed  into  the  hands  of  M.  L. 
Cottingham  in  1910,  and  thereafter  known  as  the  Independent  Tele- 
phone Company.     This  company  passed  out  of  existence  in  1918. 

In  1908  the  Farmers  Mutual  Telephone  Company  was  incorpor- 
ated and  service  began  in  1909.  They  established  the  present  tele- 
phone system  in  the  village  and  surrounding  territory.  The  com- 
pany has  150  telephones  in  the  corporate  limits  of  Tremont;  there 
are  nearly  500  telephones  in  service  on  the  Tremont  exchange.  The 
present  company  is  serving  the  people  of  Allentown,  Morton,  Grove- 
land,  Dillon  and  Circleville.  The  switchboard  operators  have  all 
been  local  people.  Miss  Belle  I.  McGinnis  was  the  first  operator  with 
this  company.  She  served  three  years  as  well  as  about  ten  years 
with  the  old  Independent  Telephone  Company. 


14 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 

History  of  Tremont  Schools 

After  the  town  of  Tremont  had  been  laid  out  in  1834,  among 
the  first  things  to  be  established  was  a  school.  The  building  was 
erected  in  the  southeast  corner  of  block  27  on  lot  7.  This  property 
afterwards  was  owned  by  James  K.  Kellogg.  The  original  school 
building  is  still  standing,  and  serves  as  a  kitchen  to  the  late  Kellogg 
home  .  In  1838  the  Village  found  itself  without  a"  teacher.  The  di- 
rectors, learning  of  James  Kellogg,  a  farmer  who  had  been  a  most 
successful  teacher  in  the  east,  induced  him  to  take  the  school  for 
three  months.  It  was  not  for  three  months  only,  but  for  thirteen 
years  that  he  served  as  instructor.  The  school  was  a  private  one, 
and  the  course  covered  was  elaborate  and  would  no  doubt  dismay 
the  teacher  of  today.  It  took  in  everything  from  the  Primary  to 
the  Academy,  including  Latin  and  Greek. 

A  joint  stock  company  was  organized  in  March,  1850,  to  estab- 
lish a  female  seminary.  The  building,  a  two  storv  frame  structure, 
was  erected  in  1851  on  the  southeast  corner  of  block  17  on  lot  6, 
this  land  being  a  part  of  the  Updike  property.  The  building  cost 
$2075.  It  was  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  finest  institutions  in  Taze- 
well county  and  was  attended  by  students  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. At  the  opening  of  the  school  on  November  7,  1851,  there  were 
enrolled  twenty-seven  young  ladies.  Miss  Harriet  Kingsbury  served 
as  principal  at  a  salary  of  $350  per  annum. 

The  academic  course  was  divided  into  three  terms  of  fourteen 
weeks  each.  The  following  comprised  the  course  of  study;  Latin, 
Algebra,  Geometry,  Trigonometry,  Anatomy,  Natural  Philosophy, 
History,  Logic,  Rhetoric,  Philosophy,  Reading,  Writing,  Arithmetic, 
Geography,  English  Grammar,  French,  Music,  Drawing  and  Painting. 

Sometime  previous  to  this,  a  district  school  building  called  the 
Bell  School,  (because  of  its  having  a  bell,)  was  built  just  west  of 
where  the  Baptist  church  now  stands.  In  1864,  the  Female  Sem- 
inary was  moved  to  block  24  on  lot  6  where  the  Baptist  church  now 
stands,  and  converted  into  a  public  school.  This  continued  to  be 
the  public  school  of  Tremont  until  1892,  when  the  present  high 
school  was  erected.  About  the  year  1848-49  a  private  school  was  in 
operation  for  a  short  time  on  the  lot  where  the  Jacob  Nafziger  resi- 
dence stands. 

Prior  to  the  year  1850,  a  district  school  building  was  erected 
in  block  26  on  lot  7  in  Elm  Grove  township  .  This  was  on  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  block  where  Fred  Brenkman's  residence  now 
stands.  Miss  Susannah  Sawyer  of  Peterborough,  New  Hampshire, 
was  the  first  teacher  in  the  school.  Miss  Sawyer  was  a  sister  of 
Josiah  Sawyer  and  afterward  married  Mifflin  Berly  of  Tremont. 
Miss  Ruth  Fenner,  Miss  Ellen  Fenner,  Miss  Joan  Dean,  Miss  Mary 
Kingman  and  Miss  Jennie  Franklin  were  some  of  the  teachers  who 
taught  in  this  school.  Miss  Hannah  Leonard,  daughter  of  Levi  Leo- 
nard of  Dillon  township,  was  the  last  teacher  in  this  sdhool.  In 
1897  this  school  building  was  sold  and  moved  to  the  north  side  of 
town  and  converted  into  a  dwelling.  It  is  still  standing.  In  the 
same  year  a  new  schoolhouse  was  built  a  little  to  the  south  and 
east  of  where  the  old  school  house  had   stood.      Miss   Ruth  Fenner 

15 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


was  the  first  teacher  in  the  new  schoolhouse.     This  was  a  district 
school. 

In  the  spring  of  1916,  a  petition  was  presented  to  consolidate 
the  west  side  district  No.  73  with  Tremont  district  No.  39.  This 
petition  was  favorably  received  and  the  two  districts  were  consoli- 
dated as  district  No.  39.  Sometime  afterwards  Mr.  Fred  Brenkman 
purchased  the  school  property  and  converted  the  schoolhouse  into 
a  modern  residence.  To  the  high  school  erected  in  1892,  two  rooms 
were  added  later.  This  building  was  used  by  the  Community  High 
School  in  1920.  The  class  of  1924  was  the  first  class  to  graduate 
from  the  high  school  that  claimed  all  its  training  in  this  institution. 
In  February,  1924,  an  election  was  held  and  bonds  to  the  value  of 
$30,000  were  voted  to  build  an  addition  to  the  present  school  build- 
ing, thus  enabling  the  school  faculty  to  enlarge  their  scope  for  work, 
and  also  add  a  greater  proficiency  for  success.  During  the  years 
1881  and  1882  a  private  school  was  held  in  the  old  Bell  schoolhouse. 
For  a  number  of  years  Miss  Ruth  Fenner  conducted  a  private  school 
in  her  home  in  the  south  part  of  town.  Miss  Fenner  made  school 
teaching  a  life  work.  Many  of  our  citizens  were  among  her  pupils. 
Her  earnest  and  devoted  efforts  as  an  instructor  were  crowned  with 
success.     Her  years  of  service  as  a  teacher  number  sixty. 


16 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


Biographies 


ENOCH  G.  MORSE 

Enoch  G.  Morse,  only  son  of  Moses  and  Hannah  (Smith)  Morse, 
was  born  in  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  January  10,  i827.  He  was 
the  representative  of  the  seventh  generation  of  his  family  in  Amer- 
ica, his  ancestors  have  emigrated  to  this  country  from  England  in 
1653.  In  1835  Mr.  Morse  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents,  who 
settled  on  a  farm  three  miles  southwest  of  Tremont.  He  acquired 
his  education  in  the  local  schools.  In  1856  Mr.  Morse  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Eades.  Mr.  Morse  resided  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Elm  Grove  township  until  September  1893,  when  he  built  a  residence 
in  the  southwest  part  of  the  Village  of  Tremont,  where  his  daughter 
Marietta  still  lives.  While  at  the  Elm  Grove  homestead,  Mr.  Morse 
served  as  town  clerk  for  twelve  years,  for  seven  years  as  commis- 
sioner of  highways,  and  for  several  years  filled  the  office  of  collector. 
Mr.  Morse  passed  away  in  October  1906.  Mrs.  Morse  passed  away 
November  11,  1918,  the  day  the  Armistice  was  signed. 


FELIX  FENNER 

Felix  Fenner  was  born  in  Fennersville,  near  Reading,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1800.  His  wife,  Harriet  Fridley,  was  born  in  Elmira,  New 
York,  in  1812.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fenner  came  to  Tremont,  Illinois,  in 
1838.  Mr.  Fenner  passed  away  in  October  1891.  Mrs.  Fenner  passed 
away  in  July  1874. 


JOSIAH  SAWYER 

Early  m  the  winter  of  1836,  Josiah  Sawyer  and  his  wife,  Harriet 
(Bates)  Sawyer,  came  to  Tremont  from  Waterford,  New  York. 
Mr.  Sawyer  was  born  in  1808.  He  was  the  oldest  son  of  Abiel  and 
Sibil  Sawyer  of  New  Hampshire.  He  was  married  in  Bellows  Falls, 
Vermont,  in  the  fall  of  1832  to  Miss  Harriet  R.  Bates,  also  of  New 
Hampshire.  Mr.  Sawyer  located  just  northwest  of  the  Village  in 
Elm  Grove  township,  but  bordering  on  the  town.  Mr.  Sawyer  was 
a  machinist  by  trade.  In  the  early  forties  he  put  up  a  building 
near  his  home  to  be  used  as  a  grist  mill.  This  mill  was  to  be  run 
on  the  windmill  plan.  This  venture  was  not  a  success.  He  then 
made  a  turning  lathe  and  made  bedposts,  table  legs,  chair  legs  and 
such  things  as  are  made  in  a  cabinet  shop.  After  a  time  he  bought 
lots  13  and  14  in  block  11  in  Tremont.  About  1848,  with  Calvin 
B.  Pea'ke  as  a  partner,  on  these  lots  they  opened  a  shop  for  the 
manufacturing  of  wagons.  About  1855,  on  account  of  hard  times, 
Mr.  Sawyer  sold  out  his  business  to  Pekin  parties.  The  office  build- 
ing and  the  main  shop  building  are  still  standing.  In  1851,  he  was 
the  instigator  of  a  patent  two  horse  corn  dropping  machine,  which 
has  since  become  famous  as  the  Brown  Corn  Planter.  In  1870,  Mr. 
Sawyer  built  a  residence  on  the  lots  where  the  wagon  shop  had 
stood.  The  residence  is  still  occupied  by  his  son  Josiah  M.  Sawyer. 
Mr.  Sawyer  passed  away  in  1883.     Mrs.  Sawyer  passed  away  in  1887. 

17 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


FREDERICK  DEAN 

Frederick .  Dean,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Tremont,  came 
from  Bridgewater,  Mass.  He  married  Joen  Waterman,  a  Maine 
school  teacher.  With  a  family  of  four  small  children,  they  started 
for  Illinois.  They  sailed  from  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  to  New  York 
City,  up  the  Hudson  river,  through  Canada  and  the  lakes,  down  the 
Ohio  river,  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  and  located  on 
the  Sangamon  river,  near  Springfield,  Illinois,  but  left  there  to  join 
the  colony  at  Tremont  the  next  year  after  the  colony  was  located 
at  Tremont.  Mr.  Dean  was  the  village  blacksmith  for  many  years. 
His  shop  stood  wheer  the  grain  elevator  office  is  now  located  on 
the  west  side  of  Sampson  street.  Mr.  Dean  passed  on  in  1879,  as 
have  his  wife  and  children  since  that  time. 


DR.  S.  R.  SALTENSTALL 

Dr.  S.  R.  Saltenstall  was  born  in  Scott  County,  Kentucky,  on 
August  31,  1818,  and  came  to  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  in  1839, 
and  settled  in  Tremont.  Dr.  Saltenstall  attended  the  schools  of  his 
native  state  and  finished  his  education  at  the  St.  Louis  University, 
where  he  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
December  3,  1840,  to  Elizabeth  Harris,  daughter  of  John  Harris. 
Dr.  Saltenstall  represented  this  district  in  the  State  Legislature 
three  terms,  which  fact  speaks  of  his  ability  in  the  highest  terms. 
He  practiced  in  Tremont  for  nearly  fifty  years  and  was  one  of  the 
leading  physicians  of  Tazewell  County.  He  passed  on  in  July,  1888. 
Mrs.  Saltenstall  passed  on  in  1897. 


JOSEPH  LYMAN  HAYWARD 

Joseph  L.  Hayward,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sylvia  (Conant)  Hay- 
ward,  was  born  in  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  October. 17,  1319.  The  Hay- 
ward  family  has  long  been  represented  in  New  England.  The  first 
of  the  family  to  arrive  in  Massachusetts  was  Thomas  Hayward,  who 
came  from  England  in  a  sailing  vessel  and  settled  in  Duxburry,  Mass., 
before  1636.  Ten  years  later  he  was  made  a  free  man,  and  his  name 
appears  among  the  very  earliest  settlers  and  proprietors  of  Bridge- 
water.  Joseph  Lyman  Hayward,  who  stands  in  the  eighth  genera- 
tion of  his  family  in  America,  was  educated  in  the  local  school  of 
his  boyhood  home  and  accompanied  his  parents  when  they  removed 
to  the  west  in  1837  to  make  their  home  in  Tazewell  County,  Illinois. 
His  father  purchased  a  farm  in  Section  31,  Morton  Township,  Taze- 
well County,  Illinois,  where  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Jos- 
eph L.  came  in  possession  of  this  farm  and  lived  upon  it  for  forty- 
eight  years.  In  1886  he  moved  to  Tremont,  Illinois,  purchasing  a 
home  on  the  east  side  of  the  Public  Square.  While  living  in  Mor- 
ton Township,  Mr.  Hayward  served  one  year  as  County  Surveyor, 
also  was  commissioner  of  highways,  assessor,  collector  and  school 
director.  Mr.  Hayward  was  married  March  2,  1843,  at  Tremont, 
Illinois,  to  Miss  May  Selah,  who  was  born  in  New  York  City.  Mrs. 
Hayward  passed  away  October  4,  1895,  and  Mr.  Hayward  in  1912. 

18 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


NATHANIAL  GORDON  NICHOLS 

Nathanial  Gordon  Nichols  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  September 
17,  1826.  He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Gordon)  Nichols. 
The  parents  were  natives  of  New  Hampshire.  Nathanial  received 
only  a  common  school  education.  He  came  to  Tazewell  County  in 
1841  and  went  to  work  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  remained 
until  1893,  when  he  moved  to  Tremont.  When  Mr.  Nichols  left 
Boston  for  the  west,  the  mode  of  travel  was  varied  and  he  utilized 
the  stage,  the  canal,  the  railroads  and  the  Great  Lakes,  arriving 
by  the  latter  in  Chicago ;  from  that  city  he  went  to  Peoria  by  stage 
and  the  river,  making  the  last  portion  of  his  journey  to  Tremont 
on  foot.  On  January  28,  1850,  he  was  married  to  Lucia  Jane,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Sarah  Lovejoy,  natives  of  New  Hampshire.  Mrs. 
Nichols  passed  away  in  January  2,  1884.  On  January  28,  1886,  Mr. 
Nichols  was  married  to  Amenda  B.  Fenner  of  Tremont,  Illinois.  Mrs. 
Amanda  Nichols  passed  away  in  1914,  and  Mr.  Nichols  in  1921. 


JAMES  KNOWLES  KELLOGG 

James  Knowles  Kellogg,  son  of  Nathanial  and  Prudence 
(Knowles)  Kellogg,  was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  January  17,  1800. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Fisk  of  Schenectady,  New  York,  in 
1833,  and  came  to  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  in  1834.  During  the 
summer  of  1835,  memorable  for  the  high  water,  Mr.  Kellogg  was 
stricken  with  fever,  his  wife  also  became  a  victim,  which  resulted 
in  her  death  and  also  of  the  little  stranger  who  was  to  gladden 
their  home.  The  first  time  that  Mr.  Kellogg  left  the  home  after  he 
was  stricken  with  fever,  was  to  follow  his  wife  and  child  to  their  last 
resting  place.  It  was  the  first  grave  in  the  community.  This  was 
in  a  grove  which  was  selected  for  its  beauty  and  peacefulness.  In 
two  years  Mr.  Kellogg  returned  to  Schenectady  where  he  was  married 
to  a  sister  of  his  wife,  Miss  Ascha  Fisk.  He  returned  to  Tremont 
and  on  their  arrival  settled  on  a  farm  in  Morton  Township.  In  1838 
he  came  to  Tremont,  Illinois,  and  entered  the  school  as  teacher, 
which  vocation  he  followed  until  1851,  when  he  retired  to  private 
life.  Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kellogg.  Francis 
Fisk  Kellogg  was  born  in  1840  and  died  in  1843.  Mary  Fisk  Kellogg 
was  born  in  1845.  Mr.  Kellogg  passed  on  in  1888  and  Mrs.  Kellogg 
in  1895.     Miss  Mary  died  in  December,  1924. 


DR.  JOSIAH  M.  CODY 

Doctor  Josiah  Millard  Cody  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  in 
October,  1861.  He  graduated  from  Rush  Medical  College  in  Chi- 
cago. In  the  spring  of  1886  he  came  to  Tremont  and  began  the 
practice  of  medicine.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Belle  Irene  Davis, 
daughter  of  Aquilla  and  Martha  Davis,  June  4,  1890.  Dr.  Cod 
built  up  a  large  and  successful  practice  and  was  one  of  the  strong 
men  of  the  town.  After  thirty-three  years  of  successful  work  as 
a  physician,  he,  with  his  wife,  on  account  of  health  conditions,  re- 
moved to  Vero,  Florida,  in  1919.  After  resting  for  a  time,  he  again 
took  up  his  work  as  physician  and  has  a  large  practice. 

19 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


AQUILLA  J.  DAVIS 

Aquilla  J.  Davis,  son  of  Hesakiah  and  Sally  T.  (Scott)  Davis,, 
was  born  in  Elm  Grove  township  March  3,  1830.  He  followed  the 
occupation  of  farmer  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  when  he  en- 
listed in  Company  H  in  the  11th  Volunteers.  He  was  wounded  at 
the  Battle  of  Shiloh,  and  was  promoted  to  Captain  for  meritorious, 
service,  his  promotion  being  followed  by  otheis  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  when  he  was  mustered  out  at  Memphis  in  1865  with  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant  Colonel.  After  the  war,  he  returned  to  Taze- 
well County  and  in  1869  located  at  Tremont,  engaging  in  the  hard 
ware  and  agricultural  business.  In  1872  he  engaged  in  the  banking 
business  with  Mr.  Hobart,  and  was  the  founder  of  the  Tremont  Bank- 
Later  Mr.  Hobart  withdrew,  and  his  son,  A.  D.  Davis,  became  asso- 
ciated with  him.  Mr.  Davis  held  many  offices  of  trust,  being  school 
trustee  for  25  years.  His  father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Tazewell  County,  having  come  to  Elm  Grove  Township  in  1826.. 
Mr.  Davis  was  married  in  Groveland  Township  December  24,  1850,. 
to  Miss  Martha  A.  Gowdy.  Mr.  Davis  passed  away  in  March  1908.. 
Mrs.  Davis  died  in  1905, 


EDWARD  PRATT 

Edward  Pratt,  son  of  Nathanial  and  Mary  Kingman  Pratt,  was. 
born  in  Pelham,  Hemshire  County,  Mass,  June  10,  1833.  At  the  age 
of  six  years  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  who  located 
in  Elm  Grove  Township.  Mr.  Pratt  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm. 
He  acquired  his  education  in  the  school  at  Tremont.  Later  he  at- 
tended the  academy  at  Galesburg.  He  responded  to  the  call  for 
troops  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  was  discharged  as  First  Lieutenant.  In  1868  he  was  elected 
Sheriff  of  Tazewell  County  for  a  term  of  two  years.  He  afterwards 
served  as  Commissioner  of  Highways  and  was  also  County  Supervisor. 
In  1874  he  was  again  elected  Sheriff,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term,  he  was  chosen  his  own  successor.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
last  term  as  Sheriff,  he  moved  to  Tremont,  Illinois,  where  he  lived 
until  he  passed  away  in  1909.  Mr.  Pratt  served  as  highway  com- 
missioner, school  trustee  and  President  of  the  Village  Board.  Mr. 
Pratt  was  married  to  Mrs.  May  Hinman  in  1879.  Mrs.  Pratt  passed 
on  in  1922, 


MATHEW  W.  SPALDING 

Mathew  W.  Spaulding  was  born  in  Bardstown,  Kentucky,  in 
1833.  He  came  to  Tremont  some  time  in  the  1830s.  His  wife, 
Marietta  Slaughter,  was  born  in  London,  England,  in  1834.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Spaulding  were  married  November  4,  1853,  in  Tremont, 
Illinois.  Mr.  Spaulding  followed  the  mercantile  profession.  He  was 
a  very  successful  clerk  in  several  of  the  Tremont  stores.  In  1884 
he  conducted  a  store  at  Ramsey,  Illinois,  at  which  place  his  wife 
passed  away.     Mr.  Spaulding  passed  away  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  in  1908. 

20 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


JAMES  N.  COTTINGHAM 

James  N.  Cottingham  was  born  July  10,  1836,  in  a  log  cabin 
on  a  farm  four  miles  east  of  Tremont,  formerly  known  as  the  Speece 
farm,  and  is  now  a  part  of  the  farm  owned  by  Frank  Harris.  When 
Mr.  Cottingham  was  quite  young,  his  father  died,  leaving  the  moth- 
er with  three  small  children  to  support.  She  managed  well  for  a 
while,  but  in  time,  the  burden  became  too  great  and  two  of  the 
children,  James  and  his  brother  were  put  out  "for  their  keep"  as 
was  then  the  custom  with  orphan  children.  At  the  age  of  seven 
James  went  to  live  with  an  aristocratic  family  named  Jones,  who 
built  and  lived  in  what  is  now  the  Menard  home.  A  few  years  later 
he  went  to  Clinton,  Illinois,  to  live  with  an  uncle  who  was  an  ex- 
tensive land  owner  and  stock  raiser,  and  when  twelve  years  of  age 
he  would  often  accompany  his  uncle  on  horseback,  driving  a  large 
herd  of  fat  cattle  from  Clinton  to  the  Chicago  markets,  when  Chi- 
cago had  less  than  one  thousand  inhabitants.  W.  M.  Cottingham 
and  a  partner,  Thomas  Snell,  completed  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road from  Clinton  to  Chicago  and  James  saw  the  first  train  that  ran 
on  the  Illinois  Central  tracks.  In  1852  he,  with  his  brother  and  some 
friends,  went  to  California,  where  he  mined  for  gold  for  two  years. 
He  went  by  rail  to  New  York  City,  taking  a  boat  there  and  going 
by  the  way  of  the  Panama  Canal,  crossing  the  Isthmus  on  foot,  then 
taking  a  boat  again  for  California.  In  1855  he  returned  to  Taze- 
well County,  Illinois,  and  bought  land.  On  July  26,  1857,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Minerva  Trout,  and  they  resided  on  a  farm 
for  40  years.  Mr.  Cottingham  was  a  successful  stock  raiser.  At 
one  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  importation  of  pedigree  horses.  In 
1897,  he  retired  from  active  life  and  moved  to  Tremont,  where  he 
still  resides  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Oscar  Barton.  His  wife  passed 
away  in  1911.  Mr.  Cottingham  enjoys  good  health  and  is  able  to 
look  after  his  farm  interests  at  the  age  of  89  years. 


JAMES  EDWARD  McINTYRE 

James  Edward  Mclntyre,  physician  and  surgeon,  was  the  son 
of  John  and  Leah  (Klemm)  Mclntyre.  He  was  born  in  Hampshire, 
West  Virginia,  September  1,  1861.  His  father  was  born  in  Mary- 
land in  1825,  and  his  mother  in  Sheno  County,  West  Virginia,  in 
1835. 

Dr.  Mclntyre  came  to  Illinois  in  1879.  He  worked  o  n  a  farm 
four  years,  three  years  in  Illinois  and  one  year  in  Missouri.  Taught 
school  five  years,  and  was  telegraph  operator  one  year  in  Wisconsin. 
He  graduated  at  Bement  Medical  College  in  Chicago  in  1892.  He 
came  to  Tremont  the  same  year  to  practice  medicine. 

Dr.  Mclntyre  was  County  Physician  for  26  years,  President  of 
the  Tremont  High  School  Board  27  years  and  of  the  grade  school 
4  years.  He  was  twice  elected  President  of  the  Village  Board.  Dr. 
Mclntyre.  in  his  33  years  of  residence  in  Tremont  and  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  places^  of  trust  occupied  by  him,  needs  no  comment 
as  to  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  people  of  the  Village 
and  vicinity. 

21 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


JOHN  H.  HARRIS 

John  H.  Harris  was  born  in  Bedford,  Westchester  County,  New 
York,  Octboer  31,  1792.  He  was  the  son  of  lEzekial  and  Elizabeth 
(Hamilton)  Harris,  natives  of  New  York.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county.  He  lived 
on  a  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  learn 
the  hatters'  trade  with  William  Garretson  of  Sing  Sing,  New  York, 
which  he  finished  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  He  then  went  to  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina,  and  engaged  as  clerk  in  his  brother's  hat  store. 
He  remained  there  about  two  years,  when  the  war  of  1812  broke  up 
his  brother's  business.  Mr.  Harris  was  taken  prisoner  twice  by 
the  British  during  the  War  of  1812,  but  was  paroled  each  time. 
Mr.  Harris  returned  to  New  York  and  embarked  in  the  hatter  busi- 
ness for  himself  in  1815,  which  he  continued  until  1833,  when  he 
came  to  Illinois  with  Josiah  L.  James  to  look  at  the  country  which 
made  a  favorable  impression  on  him.  He  returned  to  New  York 
in  1834,  helped  to  form  a  colony  which  afterward  returned  to  Tre- 
mont,  Illinois.  Mr.  Harris  was  married  December  2,  1815,  to  Miss 
Catherine  Montross  of  Westchester  County,  New  York.  His  wife 
died  March  31,  1839.  Mr.  Harris  was  again  married  April  3,  1844, 
to  Mrs.  Sarah  F.  Holder  of  Lynn,  Mass.,  but  at  that  time  residing 
in  Tremont.     Mr.  Harris  died  September  5,  1881. 


DR.  PERKINS 

Dr.  Augustus  Perkins  was  born  in  Hopkington,  New  Hampshire, 
in  1809.  He  came  to  Tremont,  Illinois,  some  time  in  the  early 
1830s,  for  we  have  an  account  of  his  ministering  in  the  capacity 
of  physician  to  the  stricken  people  alter  the  high  water  abated  and 
causing  such  a  vast  amount  of  sickness  in  1835  .  During  the  sickly 
season,  the  Doctor  went  day  and  night  for  weeks.  Moving  the  seat 
of  his  light  wagon  back,  and  with  an  extra  buffalo  robe  or  cloak,  he 
would  curl  himself  up,  gather  up  the  reins,  giving  his  faithful  horse, 
Pomp,  the  signal  to  start.  The  Doctor  would  speak  his  name  at  in- 
tervals of  about  twenty  minutes,  even  though  asleep.  Many  an 
anxious  watcher  listened  during  the  night  for  the  footfall  of  the 
faithful  Pomp,  who  seemed  to  know  where  to  stop  with  his  master. 
Sometime  after  attending  to  the  patient's  needs,  he  would  lie  down 
on  three  chairs  or  on  the  floor,  with  strict  injunctions  not  to  let  him 
sleep  over  half  an  hour.  This  rest,  with  a  cup  of  tea  strong  enough 
*or  the  brother  of  the  sun  or  moon,  were  all  that  the  Doctor  requir- 
ed to  keep  him  going  until  the  pestilence  abated.  Ordinarily  the 
sickly  season,  as  it  was  then  called,  lasted  two  or  three  months.  In 
periods  when  his  professional  cares  relaxed,  he  was  the  most  ef- 
ficient of  entertainers.  He  was  most  heartily  welcome  at  all  social 
gatherings,  being  always  ready  to  converse  with  those  who  wished 
to  do  so,  or  play  Monte  Bank  with  those  who  preferred  amusement, 
and  nowhere  was  he  a  more  delightful  companion  than  at  his  own  fire- 
side. He  was  a  rare  character  and  very  much  prized  as  such.  The 
Doctor  passed  away  in  1881.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Love- 
joy,  who  was  born  in  Sanborton,  New  Hampshire,  in  1814.  Mrs. 
Perkins  passed  away  in  1901. 

22 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


SIMION  NORMAN 

Simion  Norman  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1827.  He  emigrated  to 
Tremont,  Illinois,  in  1850.  In  1882  he  moved  tc  South  Dakota 
where  he  passed  away  in  1906.  He  was  married  to  Sarah  Nichols 
in  1853;  she  passed  away  in  1887. 


MIFFLIN  BAILEY 

Mifflin  Bailey  was  born  near  Philadelphia  in  1822  and  came  to 
Tremont,  Illinois,  with  his  parents  in  1835.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  lived  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  village,  where  Charles  Hoffman 
now  lives.  He  was  one  cf  the  trustees,  also  one  of  the  founders  of 
th  Liberal  Church  of  this  place.  He  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  1886,  when  he  retired  to  private  life.  Mr.  Bailey  passed 
away  in  March,  1908,  at  the  age  of  76  years. 


WILLIAM  DEAN 

William  Dean,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Brittwell  Dean,  was 
born  in  Alfridshire,  England,  in  1843.  He  came  to  this  country 
when  he  was  three  years  old.  His  parents  settled  in  Elm  Grove 
Township,  just  north  of  the  Village.  Mr.  Dean  afterward  settled  on 
a  farm  southeast  of  the  Village.  In  the  late  eighties,  he  moved  to 
Tremont,  buying  the  old  Dr.  Saltenstall  home. 


M.  L.  COTTINGHAM 

Mark  L.  Cottingham,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Tremont 
News,  is  the  son  of  James  and  Minerva  (Trout,  now  deceased) 
Cottingham.  He  was  born  in  Tremont  Township  July  11,  1861. 
His  granfather  on  the  paternal  side,  came  to  Illinois  in  1830  from 
Tennessee  and  located  in  Tazewell  County  in  1834.  His  grandfather 
on  the  maternal  side,  Michael  Trout,  came  from  Tennessee  in  1830 
and  died  in  1844. 

Mark  Nottingham  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive township.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  and  worked  on  a  farm  until 
three  years  after  he  was  married.  In  1886  he  engaged  in  the  im- 
porting of  draft  horses  from  Europe,  making  two  trips  to  France 
for  that  purpose.  On  May  12,  1893,  he  started  the  Tremont  News, 
in  connection  with  a  job  printing  plant  and  has  continued  as  editor 
and  proprietor  ever  since.  The  News  is  independent  as  to  politics 
and  has  a  circulation  of  1150. 

Mr.  Cottingham  does  an  extensive  line  of  job  printing  and  turns 
out  some  of  the  best  work  in  the  county.  On  November  16,  1880, 
Mr.  Cottingham  was  married  to  Kittie  Pearl  Lance  of  Mackinaw, 
Illinois. 

23 


HISTORY     OF     TREMONT 


COLONEL  PETER  MENARD 

Colonel  Peter  Menard,  son  of  Pierrie  and  Theresa  (Gordon) 
Menard,  was  born  December  26,  1797,  at  Kaskaskia,  Illinois.  About 
the  year  1820  he  was  appointed  Indian  Agent  and  removed  to  Peoria, 
Illinois.  On  June  26,  1832,  he  was  enrolled  as  First  Lieutenant  in 
Captain  William  Gordon's  Company  of  Spies,  for  service  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War.  This  company  was  mustered  out  at  Dixon's  Ferry 
in  1882.  In  February,  1837,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  four  com- 
missioners to  locate  a  state  road  from  Peoria  to  Galena,  Illinois. 
At  one  time  he  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  The 
Sherman  House  new  stands  upon  a  part  of  it.  He  also  owned  one 
half  of  the  land  known  as  Fort  Clark,  a  considerable  part  of  what 
is  now  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  was  the  first  merchant  there.  His  first 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Major,  afterward  known  as  Major  General 
Stittman.  In  1836  he  moved  to  a  farm  which  he  bought  one  mile 
southwest  of  Tremont.  On  May  10,  1849,  he  was  again  married 
to  Emily  Jane  Briggs.  In  1861,  he  bought  the  John  Albert  Jones 
home  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town.  This  was  built  in  1846. 
It  is  said  that  Abraham  Lincoln  and  other  noted  men  were  frequent 
visitors  at  this  home. 

Mr.  "Menard  passed  away  in  1871,  and  Mrs.  Menard  in  1904. 
Mr.  Menard  was  the  father  of  A.  H.  Menard  (now  deceased)  a  high- 
ly respected  citizen  of  the  Village,  also  Mrs.  Sue  Railsback  of  Ash- 
land, Nebraska. 

Mr.  Menard's  father  was  born  in  Quebec,  Canada,  in  1767.  He 
came  to  Illinois  in  1790  He  was  the  first  Lieutenant  Governor  of 
Illinois,  serving  from  1812  to  1832,  and  also  the  first  President  of 
the  Illinois  Senate  from  1818  to  1822. 


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HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  ORIGIN,  GROWTH 


